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The Last Woodbender Chapter 5 (Omashu)
🕑 Added 2022-01-20 07:09:50 +0000 UTCToday is my birthday, so I made an early update for all of my stories, I hope you enjoy it.
Before
Kuzon was never a great firebender. In fact, it was well-known that he was mediocre. It never bothered him, even when he had a general father. General Sung, to be precise. His older sister was already known as Lieutenant Anzu at the young age of twenty-three. Though there was a ten-year age difference between them, and they were not particularly close because of it, he did look up to her. She was a skilled firebender, unlike Kuzon and was entrusted with the management of the Royal Family's personal guard. Neither of his family members put much pressure on him for his lack of talent, and in fact they encouraged his fascination in advancing his knowledge of history and other scholarly pursuits.
"You will be a fantastic advisor to the Fire Lord someday, Kuzon," his father had told him time and again. "You have inherited your mother's knack for unearthing patterns and secrets."
"Yeah, little brother," Anzu had laughed, "You'll surpass me and dad someday."
While they were currently living in peacetime, the Fire Nation kept up its military. According to Fire Lord Sozin, it was important to keep their nation prepared for any adversaries, especially since the world was still awaiting the reveal of the new Avatar after Roku.
It was proclaimed throughout the nation that Fire Lord Sozin was devastated for the loss of his oldest friend. It was no secret that the two had grown up together, with Roku being from a branch of a prominent family. It was a tragedy that twelve years before, Roku had perished in the ashes of a volcanic explosion while trying to save his home from destruction. The Fire Nation had mourned for their lost Avatar, but it was time for the cycle to begin anew.
According to the legends that Kuzon was told, the next nation that the Avatar would be reincarnated in was that of the Air Nomads'. There were whispers that some of the elders in the Air Temples already knew who the Avatar was, and other murmurings that they were still searching. The spiritual ways of his best friend's people were a mystery to much of the world, but all that mystical nonsense was not enough to deter Kuzon from being excited to see Aang.
Kuzon was a year older than him, and they had met when Aang was seven and Kuzon was eight. According to Aang, seven was the age in which the monks started to expose the children in the temples to the world. They were nomads after all. Aang had come to the Fire Nation on the back of a flying bison, with a younger bison named Appa flying beside it. His guardian, Gyatso, steered them to land in the middle of the capital city that sat inside the caldera on the main island.
Kuzon and Aang had met by happenstance because Kuzon had witnessed the landing and he was utterly mesmerized with the strange creatures they had arrived with. They had been best of friends ever since. They exchanged frequent letters and met each other a few times a year. The two of them had gotten into so much trouble, and one time stole a dragon egg from poachers to return to a full-grown mother dragon.
Aang had even brought him to meet his friend, Prince Bumi once somewhere in the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. Normally, it would not have been possible for Kuzon to leave the Fire Nation like that, but it was lucky that his father had been on diplomatic business with the king of Omashu. Of course, the three of them had gotten into more trouble after running into the den of a saber-toothed moose-lion and had to sneak back into the city through the sewers. There was nothing like surviving a life-or-death situation to bond over. From then on, the friends kept in touch.
This time when Aang and Gyatso arrived on the courtyard of his family's compound, it was on just one bison. Appa was now large enough to carry multiple people, and according to Gyatso, the great beast was about his final adult size.
Aang leapt off the bison with his usual enthusiasm and greeted Kuzon with a grin. "I'm so excited! I can't believe we're going to a dance festival!" he said while rocking on his heels. "The Fire Nation has so many awesome things! There's always something different to look forward to!"
Gyatso, while an old monk, was young at heart and he showed it. He was dressed in longer traditional Air Nomad robes than Aang's. His were lengthy and sweeping, deep orange and yellow. Kuzon always thought that his beaded wooden necklace was the best part of what he wore. The carvings of the three swirls that symbolized the Air Nomads were so well made. He wanted to learn more about it.
"Yes, thank you for inviting us, Kuzon," said Gyatso, stroking one of the ends of his graying mustache. "I don't think I have been to anything like this in the Fire Nation in many years."
Kuzon bowed, putting his hands together. "It is good to see you again, Monk Gyatso," he remarked with respect.
Gyatso chuckled good-naturedly, placing his hand on Kuzon's shoulder. "Come now, you know me better than that!"
Almost as soon as he said that Appa collapsed onto his belly and shook the entire courtyard, including the deer scare that wobbled and sputtered a spout of pond water onto a nearby turtle duck. The poor animal squawked and waddled away angrily.
The three of them were lost in a chorus of laughter and mirth, clutching their stomachs, and wiping the tears that appeared at the corners of their eyes. The servants and the branch family members went about their day in the interconnected outdoor hallways, some rolling their eyes at them, and others giggling. Standing hunched over and huddled together with a giant bison in the middle of one of his compound's many sky wells, it was easy to ignore the others in favor of the happy sunlight that spilled over onto them.
Even the sweltering heat of the islands could not deter the three of them from the amount of fun they had together from the moment they met. It was always like this when Kuzon saw Aang and Gyatso. When Bumi was involved in the times he could be, it was another adventure all together. Their meetings were full of good memories that followed Kuzon from childhood into his blossoming adolescent years.
Kuzon was more than content now that his friends were there. His father and sister had become busier the past year, and he was eager to get out of the house and enjoy his time with people.
He had seen Aang two months before, just when Aang had acquired a new set of airbending master tattoos. He now matched Gyatso with the blue arrows that lined his arms and legs and pointed down his forehead. In contrast to Kuzon, Aang was a prodigy at his element and was the youngest known master in centuries at only twelve years of age. They had celebrated by watching the fireworks on Ember Island. Though, there might have been a few surprise explosions involved. After that was the dragon egg incident that Kuzon really just wanted to forget...
"Let's get Appa fed and eat something before we head out!" suggested Kuzon with a smile. "Min Lee says she made fruit tarts for us!"
Aang fell into step beside him, babbling about everything and nothing, while Gyatso followed from behind with an indulgent look on his face. He spoke about teaching the other kids at the Southern Air Temple about the move he created: The Air Scooter. Apparently, that was what had earned him his tattoos. He told him that he had mastered thirty-five of the thirty-six tiers of airbending, but his creation of the Air Scooter afforded him mastery. Gyatso chimed in, pride in every word as he described the moment he had deemed Aang worthy.
They talked more after they ushered Appa into a barn outback where he would be comfortable in the shade. Aang rolled a bushel of hay toward him and Gyatso helped fetch a few pails of water into a trough.
When they returned to the compound, a servant led them to a tearoom, a kind of nook where his father took guests when they arrived during the daytime. They sat on circular velvety red cushions around a round table. A pot of jasmine tea sat in the center, its flowery aroma escaping from underneath the lid. It was a unique teapot that Kuzon quite liked. It was black and dark red, with raised designs of gold that led to a dragon head spout.
Gyatso poured the three of them tea just as Min Lee walked into the room with a tray of the promised fruit tarts.
"Fresh from my kitchen!" exclaimed the woman. She set the silvery tray on the table and joined them for a time.
Min Lee was a member of the branch family that served the main family that Kuzon was part of. They were of noble blood through marriage, but centuries of the dynamic of protectors to the main family and staunch tradition kept their families in a unique status of loyalty to each other. While most of the branch members were non-benders, there were a few rare exceptions. Because of this, they had mastered the art of chi-blocking as their own fighting style. They were acrobatic, agile, and could fight on equal footing or more with any skilled bender.
Though, if Kuzon was being honest he found their naming system a bit odd. All of them had names that ended in the same character. Sometimes, he confused Min Lee's name with her older brother, Jin Lee. It was a good thing that they looked so different. Min Lee was tall and slender, a form true to her nature of fighting. She wore her dark hair in a low braid and had piercing brown eyes. The armor she seemed to wear at all times was made of different shades of red and pink, and extremely pliant. It kind of resembled Fire Nation military uniforms, but in a more streamlined manner and with less padding.
"This is great! The lychee was a good touch," praised Aang from beside Kuzon. He scarfed down another tart and coughed after downing a scalding cup of tea.
"Slow down, Aang, you might choke," said Gyatso with a shake of his head. "I thought you might have learned after that time I had to save you from eating too many purple berries."
"I was five!" Aang contended with a pout.
"Are you sure you're not still five?" teased Kuzon.
There was another bout of laughter. Min Lee grinned and stood up, satisfied that her baking skills were appreciated. She ducked out of the double doors with a quiet nod.
"Think we're gonna see any of the princes?" asked Aang, tilting his head over to a picture that hung on the wall of the eldest prince in question that was beside one of Fire Lord Sozin. The prince was in his late sixties now, quite old to be next in line to the throne, but Sozin was healthy and a good ruler. No one expected him to abdicate. He did not even have any direct heirs of his own. He kept marrying and remarrying, waiting for a son. No one dared to note that he was getting too old to be a father. Though, Kuzon kept hearing from the court that his newest consort had gotten pregnant and was three months along.
"No way," Kuzon responded. "The Royal Family doesn't come to things like festivals."
Aang frowned. "That's a shame," he said. Then, he squinted at the prince's painting again. "He's not wearing the headpiece of the Crown Prince."
Kuzon lifted a brow. "What headpiece are you talking about? He's always worn his hair like that."
Aang's shoulders slumped, his face contorting in confusion before shaking his head. "Never mind," he replied. "I must've heard a rumor about it that wasn't true somewhere."
Kuzon did not miss the strange look that Gyatso gave Aang, but he dismissed it as soon as they started talking about what they were going to do at the festival.
After they were finished eating, Kuzon led the two airbenders outside, away from the upper-class residential areas of the capital, and into the edges of the caldera where the dancing festival had been occurring for the past day.
In the Fire Nation, they were known for celebrations they hosted just to have an excuse to have a party. They were not overly loquacious people, but they liked to have a good time. Dancing and music were all part of the culture. Every season, there was at least one festival. It could have been an ancient spirit to celebrate, a past Avatar to honor, or the birthday of a member of the Royal Family. Now, they celebrated the beginning of spring, and the spirits of nature that brought in the change from winter to the season of new life. What better way to commemorate that than to dance for a few days straight?
"And this is the Camelephant Strut!" Kuzon cried, excitement defining his every movement. He demonstrated to Aang and Gyatso, shifting his arms from one side of his body to the other in the shape of a camelephant trunk.
The tent where most of the dancing was happening was crowded with people from all over the country. The music added a festive ambiance with the tsungi horns and flutes that the band played. Fried street food was passed from hand to hand, families skittered by on light feet.
There were a handful of Air Nomads present as well. Aang and Gyatso's people were known for their good humor and free spirits, always finding themselves where there was the most joy. They were also talented musicians and dancers, Kuzon found.
Naturally, both Aang and Gyatso caught on to the steps of every dance Kuzon showed them in minutes. They were graceful and made it look so easy. The children circled around them, asking for their hands and to show them airbending tricks.
Kuzon waved over at Aang. "I'm going to get us some melon juice," he informed his friend. "Wanna come with?" He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
"Sure!" answered Aang.
The pair shuffled over to a stand, and Kuzon reached into his pocket for three bronze coins. After he shelled them out, he and Aang watched with fond expressions as Gyatso performed Phoenix Flight with a group of small children. There was an Air Nomad boy, and two other Fire Nation children. A youth dressed in Earth Kingdom attire waited shyly on the sidelines before Gyatso gestured at her to come over.
"I'm really happy we're friends," said Aang. He glanced at Kuzon.
Kuzon elbowed Aang with a smirk. "What? Are you getting sentimental on me?" he asked.
Aang laughed. "No, just thinking about how if we never were friends, we never would have been able to do all these fun things together."
He could not help but smile, warmth blooming from his core. Aang was right, and Kuzon was grateful too. They were friends, the best of friends, and he would not have it any other way. When there were instances he needed someone to talk to, Aang was just a letter away. Even across the southern oceans, he was like the brother he did not know he needed, a person who he could talk to when there was no one else.
"I'm glad too," Kuzon said.
They gathered the cups of the cool melon drink, intent on stealing Gyatso back from the dance floor and the crowds of children.
It was nice. They spent the next few days enjoying themselves in the light of spring, basking in the opening buds of fire lilies, and the crisp air.
The time came for them to separate and for Aang and Gyatso to return to the Southern Air Temple, and for some reason it was a little harder than normal for Kuzon to say goodbye. He thought of how lonely it had felt for a while, how his father and Anzu seemed to be doing other things with little time for him. He would miss Aang's bright presence.
"I'll see you in four months! For the Comet Festival!" shouted Kuzon, cupping his hands on either side of his mouth. "Don't forget!"
"Okay! See you later, Kuzon!" Aang yelled back, waving both his arms in the air.
Gyatso lifted a hand, eyes crinkling. He flicked his writs, and Kuzon saw the two of them vanish into the clouds on Appa's back. The bison let out a rueful moan.
Now
The Gang had been flying for a long time now; Naruto looked back at the direction where Kyoshi was, long had disappeared from the Horizon.
Naruto knew his friends were alright, especially Suki; she wasn't the best warrior of Kyoshi for nothing.
"You will go with them?" Suki asked, concerned looking at Naruto after they went inside his house.
"Yes, it Is time for me to help in this War, and Aang will need my help to master Avatar State like my ancestors did for Avatar Roku, Avatar Kyoshi, and all the others," Naruto said with confidence, not bothering to hide it. Suki kept silent for a long time. She had thought that Naruto would die from the sickness, but it had been almost a month now.
Sometimes she still wondered if he...
"I won't try to stop you but be careful out there," She spoke kindly before hugging him close, her head resting on his shoulder and not wanting to think of that right now.
"Don't worry for me Suki, Once I return, we can play 'Catch The Fly' once more," Naruto teased, making her laugh, it had been over five years, and yet he still mentioned it.'
Naruto and the others are walking up a hill. As they reach the stop, Aang points forward and excitedly says, "The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!".
Katara and Sokka look at the city with their jaws dropped while Naruto looks on indifferent. "I always used to come here to visit my friend Bumi", Aang continued.
"Wow! We don't have cities like this in the South Pole," Katara says, amazed.
"They have buildings here that don't melt," Sokka says, in love with the city already.
Katara and Sokka look over to Naruto to see him with his hand on the ground.
"Naruto! How are you not amazed by this!?" Sokka asked loudly, being very confused as to why he and Katara were the only ones freaking out about this.
"Hm? Pfft, this city is beautiful, but I'm more interested to know why we are here," Naruto answered nonchalantly. The sudden realisation hits both of their faces as they nod in understanding.
"Well, let's go, slowpokes. The real fun is inside the city," Aang says before he starts to run down the hill. However, he is quickly stopped by the voice of Katara.
"Wait, Aang. It could be dangerous if people find out you're the avatar," Katara says.
"You need a disguise", Sokka added quickly behind him.
"So, what am I supposed to do, grow a moustache?" Aang asks sarcastically. 'Wouldn't be a perfect disguise', Naruto thought to himself.
"I have an idea. Follow me," Sokka says as he starts to walk towards Appa.
"Oh, this is gonna be great," Naruto said sarcastically.
Aang is wearing a fake moustache and fake hair made out of Appa's fur that has shed. "Oh, this is so itchy," Aang says, scratching his head.
"How do you live in this stuff!?" Aang asks his bison. Appa just turns to the monk and snorts in his face.
"Great! Now you look just like my grandfather," Sokka japed, laughing loudly at the poor Avatar.
"Technically, Aang is 112 years old," Naruto says before throwing Aang his staff. Aang spins it around a couple of times before using it as if it were a cane.
"Now, let's get to skipping, young whippersnappers! The big city awaits!" Aang says, impersonating that of an older man.
They then started walking down a very long path that had a very far drop down on either side. They walked in silence until about 100 feet away from the entrance, Aang broke it.
"You guys are going to love Omashu. They have the friendliest people in the world," Aang said before being proven wrong by yelling.
"Rotten cabbages!? What kind of slum do you think this is!?" a guard yelled before earth, bending a cart full of cabbages off the side of the cliff, falling thousands of feet into the abyss below.
"No! My cabbages!" the merchant yelled, running over to the side of the cliff and looking down.
"Just keep smiling," Aang said before continuing to walk forward. Sokka and Naruto look at Katara as she just gives them a nervous laugh before following Aang.
"Are we seriously gonna follow them?" Sokka asks, looking at Naruto.
"As much as I really don't want to die today, I don't think we have a choice", Naruto responded as the two followed Aang and Katara.
Aang walked up to the guard as he earth bent a boulder out of the ground and held it above his head.
"State your business!" The guard yells. Aang rushes up to him and gets in his face surprising him and causing him to drop the boulder.
"My business is my business, young man, and none of yours. I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!" Aang yells in an old man voice, pointing his finger at the man's face.
Sokka, Katara, and Naruto look on in shock at what Aang is doing. However, Naruto has respect for Aang's confidence.
"Settle down, old-timer. Just tell me who you are," The guard said, trying to calm down the 'old man'.
"Name's Bonzoo Pippenpadlopsicopolis the third", Aang says as Naruto just facepalms mentally at the name. Aang then turns and points at the others before saying, "And these are my grandkids".
Katara then walks up to the guards waving. "Hi, June Pippenpadlopsicopolis. Nice to meet you," she says as Naruto thinks to himself, 'damn, she did not stutter'.
The guard looks at her sceptically before turning to Sokka and Naruto.
"And you two are?" the guard asks with suspicion at the two, especially Naruto, whose hair was as bright as the sun.
"I'm Dave Pippenpadlopsicopolis, and this is my brother Baka," Naruto says, putting a hand on Sokka's shoulder. The guard looks at them closely while stroking his beard.
"You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble" before turning at Naruto.
"And you seem like a great young warrior. Make sure to protect your sister and grandfather. Enjoy Omashu," He says, stepping to the side for them to walk by.
The four then walked forward before the guard stopped Sokka.
"Wait a minute! You're a capable young boy, aren't you? Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag," The guard says. Naruto had to try his hardest to stifle his laughter.
"Good idea!" Aang agreed, throwing his bag at Sokka, hitting him in the face before dropping down into his open arms.
The guards then earth bend the walls to the side, allowing the four to enter the city. As they walk into the city, Sokka and Katara look on with their jaws dropped, Aang has a look of pure excitement, and Naruto looks on with a small smile.
"This is the Omashu delivery system, miles and miles of tubes and chutes. Earth bending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down," Aang explains. Naruto was extremely interested in this, however, not for a normal reason.
"Great, so they get their mail on time," Sokka says, disinterested.
"Well, I, for one, think that this would make an amazing slide," Naruto says aloud. Aang looks over at him with the biggest smile on his face.
"Naruto, it's like you read my mind. My friend Bumi found that better use for these chutes," Aang says, looking on at nothing smiling as if he was having a flashback to a memory of his.
Later they are up at the beginning of one of the chutes while Aang is in a cart trying to convince the others to get in with him.
"Aang, I don't know. As fun as I'm sure this would be, there is no way this is legal," Naruto says.
"One ride, then we're off to the north pole, air bender's honour," Aang says, which somehow got the others to agree. Naruto got behind Aang, with Katara behind Naruto and Sokka in the back.
"This sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second THOUGHTS!" Katara yells as Aang pushes them forward, starting the ride.
As they went down the chute, Aang and Naruto were laughing like psychopaths while Katara and Sokka were clinging to the sides of the package cart, fearing that if they let go, they would fly out and fall to their deaths.
Naruto, of course, would not let that happen but decided to play with them; he leaned back towards Katara before yelling.
"Come on, Katara! You told me you used to go Penguin Sliding; how is this any different than penguin sledding!?" Naruto asked with a smirk on his face.
"YOU KNOW HOW IT'S DIFFERENT!" Katara yelled back, which just made Naruto laugh even more.
As the ride continued the chute, they were in became right next to another one. The four turned to see a cart with spears facing forward going down it.
The chutes then merged into one single chute with the spears behind them and catching up. Sokka ducked down to avoid being stabbed as Katara nervously screamed.
"I'm on it", Aang said as he moved his weight to the left, causing the cart they were in to jump off the slide and land on a roof before sliding down that, through a group of men training to become soldiers, then crashing through an earth railing completely destroying it, before finally landing and going down another chute.
Katara was holding onto Naruto's waist this whole time and burying her face into his back.
"Aang, do something! Use your airbending!" Sokka yelled, scared like never before in his life.
"Yeah! Good idea! That will make us go even faster," Aang yelled back before waving his arms and throwing them behind them, making them go incredibly fast.
As they continued to go down the chute, they gained a lot of attention from the citizens of Omashu. Up ahead them, they saw another package cart completely still as they screamed in fear of crashing.
That cart was soon launched down by an earth bender, making them sigh out of relief, only to have them full of fear again as another one came up through the ground and took its place.
They were then launched in the air off of a high platform just doomed to fall to their deaths below. However, Naruto brought his wood out, wrapping his arms in wood branches before sending it out and grabbing Katara, Aang, and Sokka by the waists before then grabbing the cart with his wood branch as well and pulling them down into it.
Aang was still in the front, and Sokka was still in the back. However, Katara and Naruto now switched places, with Katara facing Naruto. The cart landed on another roof, sliding off and crashing into a building, destroying countless pottery pieces.
Katara grabbed onto Naruto for dear life once more, but this time she buried her head into his chest. Naruto grabbed Katara and pulled her closer to him. The cart crashed through a few more buildings before hitting an earth wall and destroying it, making them lose almost all of their momentum.
They fell down as Naruto and Katara were launched out of the cart into the air. Naruto wrapped his arms around Katara and put himself between her and the ground before crashing through a roof.
"Ow... that hurt", Naruto said as he looked up and saw Sokka and Aang on top of each other next to the cart which crashed into a merchant cart of... cabbages?
"My cabbages! You're going to pay for this!" the merchant yelled. A group of guards then surrounded Sokka and Aang, arresting them before walking over and doing the same to Naruto and Katara.
